1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
19 
the natives, and sold to the British at Bantam, while 
their factory was established there, were imported into 
England under the very natural appellation of Bantam 
fowls. Their elegance and diminutive size rendered 
them favorites, and in due time the name, belonging 
exclusively to these birds, came to be conferred on all 
small or dwarf fowls indiscriminately, whether of this 
pure breed or otherwise. The domestic Bantam stock, 
as every one knows, breeds freely with ordinary fowls, 
the mixed offspring being intermediate in size between 
their parents; and that the Bankiva jungle-fowl will 
breed with our domestic Bantam race, and with other 
races, the offspring being fertile, we ourselves can tes¬ 
tify.. Such birds are common in the gardens of the 
.Zoological Society, and so closely do the offspring of 
the Bankiva jungle-cock and a brown domestic Bantam 
hen resemble the wild or original breed, that on more 
than one occasion we have been in doubt9 nor is this 
to be wondered at—on both sides was the lineage the 
same.” 
The male of Sonnerat’s Jungle Fowl is described as 
follows:-— 
“Size intermediate between that of a Bantam and a 
game cock - but the general contour is peculiarly light 
and graceful, and vigour and alertness are displayed 
in every action. The comb is large, with a sub-ser¬ 
rated ridge, that is the ridge, is but slightly dentated, 
in comparison with the comb of the Galius bankiva . 
13 - sonnerat’s jungle fowl. 
The wattles are large and double- The hackles of the 
neck, the wing coverts on the shoulders, and the tail 
coverts are dark grayish, with bright golden orange 
shafts, dilating in the centre and towards the tip into a 
flat, horny, and very glossy plate, fn some of these 
feathers the shaft takes an elliptical or oar-like shape, 
in others it puts on the appearance of a long inverted 
cone, from the centre of the base of which a battledore- 
like process arises.” 
“ The feathers of the middle of the back, breast bel¬ 
ly and thighs, are of a deep rich gray, with paler 
shafts and edges. The tail is of a deep, rich refulgent 
green, but the feathers which immediately succeed the 
hackles of the lower part of the back, and lie against 
the sides of the tail, are rich purple with a pale yellow 
edge, those next in succession are a golden green with 
gray edges, and all are glossed with brilliant metallic 
reflections. Bill, legs, and toes, yellowish. When seen 
in a bright sunlight, the plumage of this elegant bird 
glitters like gold, and presents a most rich appearance. 
The female is generally described as destitute of those 
expanded ornaments to the hackles and wing-coverts, 
which are so conspicuous in the male ; and certainly we 
have not observed them on the specimens which we 
have seen. 
“ Sonnerat’s jungle-fowl, the jungle-cock of the Bri¬ 
tish, is noted for its prowess and resolution, insomuch that 
it is anxiously sought after by the cock-fighters in Hindus¬ 
tan, who rely on it for victory when pitted against lar¬ 
ger game cocks. It does not appear however that the 
cock-fighters breed this bird in its purity; they seek after 
the wild birds, which soon become tame. Johnson in his 
Sketches of the Field Sports as followed by the Na¬ 
tives of India, informs us that the Sheccaries, a people 
of low caste in India, gain a livelihood by catching 
those jungle-fowls, and also other animals. 
u In general habits and manners the jungle-fowl re¬ 
semble their domestic relatives; the cock proudly leads 
his train of females, and vigilantly watches over their 
safety. On being suddenly disturbed the troop scatters 
in all directions, seeking safety under covert of the 
dense brushwood. In spots where they are numerous, 
the challenging of the cocks to each other may be 
heard on every side around, and yet such is their cun¬ 
ning and keenness of sight, that the sportsman, unless 
he is well acquainted with their habits, is often disap¬ 
pointed in his attempts to get a fair shot. 
“ Sonnerat and many other naturalists have contend¬ 
ed that to this species alone are our breeds of domestic 
fowls to he traced. We think it most probable, not¬ 
withstanding the peculiarity of the plumage, and the 
circumstance of the throat of the female being covered 
with feathers, instead of being naked and wattled, that 
the Gallus sonneratii has intermingled with other 
breeds, or contributed to improve them-—and among 
them we would enumerate the breeds of high-spirited 
game fowls kept for fighting by the Mussulmans of 
India, and which have been long celebrated; but we 
cannot admit that Sonnerat’s jungle fowl is the sole 
origin of the domestic race. The Gallus bankiva and 
the Gallus giganteus present stronger claims to our 
notice, nor can we doubt they contribute the ground¬ 
work of some of our most remarkable varieties. There 
are several other species of wild jungle-fowl, to which 
we shall here only briefly allude, as they are not likely 
to have contributed to the establishment of the domes¬ 
tic race. One of these is the Bronzed Cock of Summa- 
tra, ( Gallus eeneus,) a fine species, remarkable for a 
large comb, smooth along the ridge. The neck is not 
covered with true hackles. Another is the Ayam- 
alas jungle-fowl or fork-tailed cock of Java, ( Gallus 
furcatus .) This species has no true hackles on the 
neck, and the throat is adorned with a single large 
wattle only, springing from a central line.” 
In our next and succeeding numbers, we shall give 
descriptions and illustrations of other kinds of fowls, 
and the different classes of poultry. 
Profits of Hens. 
Dr. J. Barstow, of Chicago, kept an account of the 
expense and income of fifty hens, for one year. The 
cost of keeping on corn, was about twenty-five cents 
for each lien. The hens averaged ninety-one eggs 
each. One of the editors of the Prairie Farmer states 
that he has kept forty hens the past year; that the cost 
was about the same as given by Dr. Barstow; bat the 
fowls averaged only sixty-five eggs each. The fowls 
in both cases were confined to a yard, but one lot of 
them were allowed to have their liberty for a part of 
each day. They were fed with fresh meat occa¬ 
sionally. 
Large Poultry.— -At a show held in England, un¬ 
der the direction of the late Earl Spencer, the follow¬ 
ing were the dressed weights of some of the poultry 
exhibited: The best turkey weighed twenty lbs. 4 oz.; 
capon, 7 lbs. 14-| oz.; pullet, 6 lbs. 3^ oz.; goose, 18 
lbs. 2i oz. ; couple of ducks, 15 lbs. 10 oz. 
